NEWS RELEASES
2002-03

NEWS RELEASES 2002-03
:: JANUARY 7, 2003

NORTH CAROLINA'S PERFORMANCE MIXED ON 2003 QUALITY COUNTS REPORT

North Carolina was one of five states to receive a B on Improving Teacher
Quality, according to Education Week's seventh annual 50-state report card,
and, for the first time, improved its grade on School Climate to a C+, likely
the result of statewide efforts to lower class sizes in primary grades and in
needy schools. Only South Carolina earned a higher grade than North Carolina
on Improving Teacher Quality.

The full letter grade report card showed North Carolina receiving a B- on
Standards and Accountability - down from a B in 2002; a C+ on School Climate
- up from a D- in 2001 (no score was given to states in 2002); a C+ on Adequacy
and Equity of Resources - up from a C in these areas the previous year; and
a B on Improving Teacher Quality - down from a B+ in 2002. North Carolina's
grades overall placed it solidly in the middle of the national range, with the
exception of Improving Teacher Quality which was higher.

State Superintendent Mike Ward said that he was pleased that North Carolina
remains a leading state in improving teacher quality and that the state showed
a gain in school climate, particularly given the state's budget situation. "We
are so fortunate in North Carolina to have a Governor and legislature who continue
to support the advances North Carolina public schools have made by providing
funding for salary increases and reduced class sizes in a budget year that that
was the worst in decades," Ward said.

State Board of Education Chairman Phil Kirk said that he was particularly
pleased that the state was able to bring up its school climate grade. "We
know that academic achievement and efforts to improve teacher quality are critical,
but for parents, school climate is an important indicator of how well that school
will do in meeting their child's academic needs."

The 2003 Quality Counts report, "Ensuring a Highly Qualified Teacher
for Every Classroom," focuses on the "teacher gap," and the shortage
of well-qualified teachers in schools that are low performing, that have high
numbers of at-risk students or that have other special challenges. The report
found that while all states and the District of Columbia are taking steps to
recruit and retain quality teachers, those efforts are "generally not aimed
at finding teachers for high-poverty, high-minority, and low-achieving schools."
In addition, the report looked at the role of working conditions and its role
in the recruitment and retention of quality teachers.

Quality teachers, administrators and staff is one of the State Board of Education's
five strategic priorities for excellent schools, and recruiting and retaining
quality educators continues to be a top priority for the Board. North Carolina's
efforts in this area include a wide array of strategies: alternative entry licensure
routes, programs that support new teachers, pay increases for advanced degrees
and National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification, and special
bonuses for teachers with expertise in specific hard-to-supply subjects who
are willing to teach in "high priority" schools.

Local school districts also supplement state efforts to recruit and retain
quality professionals through salary supplements, signing bonuses, special incentives
provided by local businesses and other perks to improve the quality of teachers'
work environment.

The report credited North Carolina for its bonuses of up to $1,800 annually
for science, mathematics, or special education teachers who choose to teach
in high-priority schools and for adding five days of professional development
for teachers in such places but also encouraged more efforts to address increasing
the potential of the existing cadre of teachers.

About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 126 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.

For more information:
NCDPI Communication and Information Division, 919.807.3450.